8.01.2011

Theme: Ice Ice Baby — The last word of each theme answer can be a form of ice.

Theme answers:

20A: Microprocessor (COMPUTER CHIP).

39A: Substance in a visual display unit (LIQUID CRYSTAL).

56A: Broth-making aid (BOUILLON CUBE).

65D: The ends of 20-, 39- and 56-Across are forms of it (ICE).

30D: 65-Down, in a cocktail (ROCKS).

Remember last week when I complained about the 1-Across clue "See 69-Across"? Now, right here today? This is how it's done. FIZZ at 1-Across (1A: Effervescence). That's what I'm talkin' about. I tell you what, this theme didn't excite me much, but the fill in this grid is definitely above average for a Monday. The thing about Mondays is that they have to be easy. But easy doesn't mean the fill has to be boring. The easy part can be accomplished with straightforward cluing of lively entries (like we have today). My favorites include L.L. BEAN, MOOG, DOG IT, and YELL UP TO (48A: Maine mail order giant / 33A: Synthesizer pioneer / 12D: Loaf on the job / 41D: Shout at from below). I mean, that's pretty flashy for a Monday, right?

Bullets:

15A: Where dos are done (SALON). PuzzleDaughter is really into doing nails right now so she's opened a "salon" right here at the PuzzleHouse. She even has a Club Card so that once you've visited the salon ten times you get … a surprise. She's got kind of a strange business model though. The first four times you visit the salon it's free, but after that you have to start paying. Her marketing skills might need a little work is what I'm saying.

23A: Hard tattoo to misspell (MOM).

50A: Halfback's maneuver (END RUN). This is funny. I don't recall hearing this phrase in relation to football. It's pretty obviously a football term, but I've heard it mostly in its metaphircal sense.

67A: Modern kind of phone (SMART). This is a type of clue/answer pair that Amy taught me to find irritating. (And good thing too! I don't have enough things to be irritated about!) You see, a SMART isn't a type of phone. A SMART PHONE is a type of phone. This is one of those irritants that I just live with. You should either join me in being irritated or … decide that you're not going to be bothered by this kind of stuff. Probably best to choose the latter.

1D: Beatles adjective (FAB). For you young'uns out there, the Beatles were known as the FAB Four.

2D: Chat room "I think ..." (IMO). For you older people out there, it stands for In My Opinion.

5D: Forensic TV spin-off (CSI: MIAMI). I've never watched any of the CSI shows. I also never watched any of the Law & Order spin-offs, although I watched every single episode of the original. I'm not really sure why. I think I just got busy. It's not that I'm opposed to spin-offs. I watched "Rhoda" after all.

8D: Track tipster (TOUT). This is probably the toughest clue in the grid. Somewhere way back in the cobwebs I knew this definition of TOUT, but it sure didn't come easy.

25D: What they call the wind, in a 1951 song (MARIA). I'm not familiar with this song, but it brought to mind this one:

I had several surprising (for a Monday) sticking points today. So my time was about twice as long as typical for me.

Found out that I want to put an extra letter in BOULLiON. I first tried taking out one of the L's. Good thing this was clued as soup and not gold.

For some reason I got my blood typing mixed up and keyed in "abPos" first pass through, then held onto it with the one correct letter for too long. Speaking of weak grammar: IN LAST? The Royals just about own the spot, but I think I hear a noun after the phrase in the broadcasts.

Also wanted another letter for MARIA - here I am not alone, per Wiki: "Paint Your Wagon is a Broadway musical comedy, with book and lyrics by Alan J. Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. Popular songs from the show included "Wand'rin' Star", "I Talk to the Trees" and "They Call the Wind Maria". (While the name in this title is pronounced as the currently popular spelling of "Mariah," the original spelling is the classical spelling of "Maria.") The musical ran on Broadway in 1951 and in the West End in 1953." Movie was in 1969.

However, despite my personal mental glitches, this was a cool theme for a hot day (hot week, hot month, hot summer!) Thanks to Andrew Bannem, and to PG.

Well, I liked the theme a lot, but was also puzzled by the spelling of "bouillon" and "Maria." Glad to have those clarified. And even if it makes me one of the "older people" (how true, sadly) I'm glad to finally know what "IMO" stands for. Thanks, Puzzle Girl!

I would think the similar spelling of Maria might have to do with West Side Story being about a Latin gang and Paint Your Wagon about a bunch of Irish miners. Probably Lee Marvin's best film ... Clint's, not so much.

Great write up as usual. Being an expert in little I know 2D as IMhO (humble). And in IMHO, Carb up is exactly what I do before the MS 150 with pasta the night before and two cheap beers the morning of. Carb-up & no pain no pain!